Activities for April 2023

 

Spring is here!  We are going to practice our drawing skills in many ways.  We will practice basic techniques of self-portraits while celebrating National Pet Day and Earth Day. We will also learn how to draw a Still Life.

Lesson 1: Self-Portrait

Dates: April 10 – April 21

Big Idea:

VA.2/3/4/5.C – Critical Thinking and Reflection

VA.2/3/4/5.S – Skills, Techniques, and Processes

VA.2/3/4/5.O – Organizational Structure

Benchmarks:

VA.2.C.2.3, VA.3.C.2.2, VA.4.C.2.3, VA.5.C.1.3

VA.2.S.1.2, VA.3.S.1.2, VA.4.S.1.2, VA.5.S.1.2

VA.2.O.1.1, VA.3.O.2.1, VA.4.O.3.1, VA.5.O.3.1

Essential Questions:

What is a self-portrait?

How do artists document themselves through their artwork?

How can we use art to show who we are?

Art History & Art Appreciation Connections:

10 Famous Faces: Artists’ Self-Portraits,

Self-Portrait Facts for Kids,

5 Minutes of Art History: The Self-Portrait

Art of Ed: How to Use Portraits as a Big Idea in the Art Room

How to Draw a Face for Kids

Vocabulary:

Genre: Portraiture

Artistic Style:   Portrait

Media/Technique: Drawing

Design Elements: Line, Texture, Shape, Color

Design Principles:  Balance

Other: Symmetry, Proportion

Judith Leyster, Self-Portrait, 1630

Van Gogh, Self-Portrait, 1887

Mary Cassat, Self-Portrait, 1878

Claude Monet, Self-Portrait, 1886

Frida Kahlo, Self-Portrait, 1940

Salvador Dali, Self-Portrait, 1921

Faith Ringgold, Self-Portrait, 1965

Keith Haring, Self-Portrait, 1985

Historical Art / Artist Reference

10 Famous Faces: Artists’ Self-Portraits

Activity

Create a self-portrait, half you and half pet or half earth.

Materials

· White Paper 9” X 12”

· Pencil

· Colored pencils

Steps

1) Draw your sketch 

(go to "camera" on your laptop and take a selfie or use an online mirror - Click Allow)

2) Color your drawing using shading

Lesson 2: Still Life

Dates: April 24 – May 5 

Big Idea: 

VA.2/3/4/5.C – Critical Thinking and Reflection 

VA.2/3/4/5.H – Historical & Global Connections 

VA.2/3/4/5.S – Skills, Techniques, and Processes 

 

Essential Questions: 

What is a Still Life? 

How can artists use shapes and line to create a composition? 

How can we improve our drawing skills by drawing from observation? 

 

Benchmarks: 

VA.2.C.2.2, VA.3.C.2.2, VA.4.C.2.2, VA.5.C.1.2 

VA.2.H.1.1, VA.3.H.2.3, VA.4.H.1.2, VA.5.H.1.2 

VA.2.S.1.2, VA.3.S.1.2, VA.4.S.1.2, VA.5.S.2.1 

Discovery Ed: Art Minutes: Paul Cezanne “Still Life with Fruit Dish” 

 

Art History & Art Appreciation Connections: 

Still Life Facts for Kids,  

Discovery Ed: The Blue Vase by Paul Cezanne,  

Discovery Ed: Still Life on a Table by Pablo Picasso, 

Discovery Ed: A Still Life of Roses by Thomas Frederick Collier 

 

Vocabulary: 

Genre: Still Life 

Artistic Style:   n/a 

Media/Technique: Illustration 

Design Elements: Line, Texture,  Shape  

Design Principles:  Emphasis 

Other: draft, edit, drawing, shading 

Daisy Linda Ward, Still Life with Fruit, c. 1887 

Paul Cezanne, The Blue Vase, c. 1887 

Ethel Sands, Still Life with a View over a Cemetery, c. 1887 

Thomas Frederick Collier, A Still Life of Roses, c. 1871 

Gwen John, A Corner of the Artist’s Room in Paris, c. 1907-1909

 

Pablo Picasso, Still Life on a Table, 1947 

 

Activity 

Sketch a still life 

Materials 

· White Paper 9” X 12” 

· Pencil 

 
Steps 

1) Sketch your still life 

2) Shade your still life 

Art careers related to the unit

Art Educator, Illustrator

Critique
Critique the finished drawings

Enrichment Projects
Explore other ways of creating self-portraits or still life artwork

SDI Projects
Practice drawing lines and shapes and writing in cursive

Values Matter

Value of the Month

How can you display Cooperation during art classes?

Reference: Values Matter